Press Releases
Durbin, Schneider Introduce Legislation To Combat White Supremacist Terrorist Threat
WASHINGTON - Following the massacre at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) today introduced bicameral legislation to address the growing threat of white supremacists and other violent right-wing extremists. The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act would enhance the federal government's efforts to prevent domestic terrorism by requiring federal law enforcement agencies to regu… Continue Reading
03.27.19
Durbin: President Trump Is Building His Wall At The Expense Of The Military
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, today questioned Mark Esper, Secretary of the U.S. Army, and General Mark Milley, U.S. Army Chief of Staff, about President Trump's Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 budget request. In today's hearing, Durbin pressed the Defense Department about President Donald Trump's efforts to divert defense funds to the border wall so that he can fulfill a campaign promise. On Monday, Congress… Continue Reading
03.27.19
Durbin Questions Trump Administration's Commitment to Air Safety
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today at a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development hearing, questioned Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Elaine Chao about the Trump Administration's commitment to air safety, asking why President Donald Trump waited 14 months to nominate a new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator. In the wake of two deadly plane crashes, and heightened attention surrounding FAA's safety measures a… Continue Reading
03.26.19
Durbin: Republicans Need To Drop The Stunts And Work With Democrats To Address Climate Change
WASHINGTON - Ahead of Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) sham vote in the Senate on a bill that he does not support - the Green New Deal, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called out his Republican colleagues for continuing to deny the science behind climate change and refusing to work with Democrats on a bipartisan basis to tackle this mounting crisis. "You either believe it or you don't believe it - is there such a thing as climate change? Are we going thr… Continue Reading
03.26.19
Durbin And Hassan Introduce Comprehensive Legislation To Protect Students And Taxpayers From Predatory Higher Education Practices
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) today introduced the Preventing Risky Operations from Threatening the Education and Career Trajectories of Students Act of 2019, also known as the PROTECT Students Act. The bill will help safeguard students, including servicemembers and veterans, and taxpayers from predatory and anti-student higher education practices and ensure that higher education meets the needs of hard-working students. As the Senate HELP Committee wo… Continue Reading
03.26.19
Graham, Durbin Reintroduce Dream Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced the Dream Act of 2019, which would allow immigrant students who were brought here as children and grew up in the United States to earn lawful permanent residence and eventually American citizenship. Graham and Durbin introduced identical legislation in the last session of Congress. These young people, known as Dreamers, have lived in America since they were children, built their lives here, and are America… Continue Reading
03.26.19
Durbin, Duckworth Statement On Illinois Auditor General Report: Cover-Up And Delay Endangered Vets And Staff At IVH Quincy
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement today after a report from Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino was released detailing serious lapses in the State's handling of the Legionnaires' outbreaks at Illinois Veterans' Home (IVH) Quincy from 2015 to 2018: "The Auditor General's report on Legionnaires' disease at IVH Quincy found: 'cover-up and delay that endangered our Veterans and staff.'" The Senators went on to say: "When mi… Continue Reading
03.26.19
Senators Press Defense Department For Answers Following Transfer of $1 Billion In Military Personnel Funding To Pay For President Trump's Wall
WASHINGTON - Following notification from the Department of Defense that it transferred $1 billion in military personnel funding to the Drug Interdiction and Counter-narcotics Activities account to be used to build part of President Donald Trump's wall on the Southwest border, even though it was not approved by Congress, every Democratic member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Ag… Continue Reading
03.25.19
Durbin Statement On Special Counsel Mueller's Report
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russia's interference in the 2016 election being sent to U.S. Attorney General William Barr: "Now that Special Counsel Mueller has submitted his report, it is essential that Attorney General Barr make the full report public and that he provide its underlying evidence to Congress. It is also imperati… Continue Reading
03.25.19
Durbin Statement On AG Barr's Report To Congress
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement regarding U.S. Attorney General William Barr's submission to Congress of a summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russia's interference in the 2016 election: "Attorney General Barr has the authority to make the full Mueller findings public with minimal redactions. He must do so as quickly as possible. The 'summary' document he provided… Continue Reading
03.22.19
Durbin Questions FAA Safety Approval Process For Boeing 737 Max Series Planes
WASHINGTON-In the wake of the two recent Boeing 737 Max series plane crashes, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today pressed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for answers following a New York Times report yesterday that detailed how a previously optional safety feature will now be added as a standard feature on all 737 Max series planes. In a letter to FAA Acting Administrator Daniel Elwell, Durbin asked why such safety features were not originally required by the FAA to be included on a… Continue Reading
03.22.19
Durbin, Duckworth Announce Nearly $5 Million In Federal Funding To Help Improve Infant Health Outcomes And Reduce Racial Disparities In Illinois
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded five organizations in Illinois a total of $4,990,000 in federal funding to help reduce racial disparities in infant health. Today's funding, awarded through HHS's Healthy Start Initiative: Eliminating Disparities in Perinatal Health program, will seek to improve health outcomes before, during, and after pregnancy, and reduce racial and ethni… Continue Reading
03.22.19
Durbin Informs Illinois Religious Institutions Of Nonprofit Security Grant Funding
CHICAGO - Following the massacre at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent letters to religious institutions and houses of worship across Illinois to make them aware of an important federal funding opportunity for nonprofit organizations to ensure they have the necessary resources to improve their security. Durbin helped secure $60 million in nonprofit security grant funding for the Depart… Continue Reading
03.22.19
Bipartisan Senate Leaders Condemn Arrest Of Interim Venezuelan President Guaido's Chief Of Staff
WASHINGTON - Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) today called for the immediate and unconditional release of Roberto Marrero, Interim Venezuela President Juan Guaidó's chief of staff. Marrero was abducted by Venezuelan secret police early this morning in a desperate attempt by criminal elements of the outgoing regime to intimidate members of the internationally recognized government. The inflammatory move came as Venezuelans are endur… Continue Reading
03.21.19
Durbin On Marine Corps Memo: President Trump Is Endangering Our Troops To Build His Wall
PEORIA - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, today released the following statement after the Los Angeles Times published a memo from the Marine Corps regarding the danger being created by diverting excess Department of Defense funding to President Trump's border wall rather than Marine Corps priorities, such as repairs at Camp Lejeune and training. Last week, the Senate voted to reject President Trump's emergency declaration… Continue Reading
03.21.19
Durbin Highlights Drug Pricing Bills To Tackle Big Pharma, Lower Costs For Patients
PEORIA -- U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined doctors and patients at UnityPoint Hospital to discuss recent legislation he has introduced to combat the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs for American patients, providers, and taxpayers. This year, Durbin has introduced new legislation to help prevent sudden, outrageous price hikes for prescription pharmaceuticals, as well as a bipartisan bill to save billions in wasted spending due to oversized drug packaging. Durbin also highlight… Continue Reading
03.19.19
Durbin, Senators Call On Saudi Arabia To Release Political Prisoners
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) today called on the King of Saudi Arabia to immediately and unconditionally release a number of prisoners held by the Saudi government, many of them on dubious charges related to their activism. These include writer Raif Badawi, human rights lawyer Waleed Abu al-K… Continue Reading
03.19.19
Durbin, Leahy, Schatz Statement On DOD List Of Military Projects On The Chopping Block For President Trump's Wall
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense; Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee; and Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ranking Member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs today released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Defense sent Congress a list of military construction projects that could be delayed in order to pay for Presiden… Continue Reading
03.18.19
Durbin, Kelly Announce Legislation To Lower The Nation’s Rising Maternal And Infant Mortality Rates
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Robin Kelly (D-IL-02) today announced the reintroduction of their legislation to help lower America's rising maternal and infant mortality rates and reduce racial disparities in health outcomes. The Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness (MOMMA) Act, which will be formally introduced by Durbin and Kelly in the House and Senate next week, aims to improve care women receive before, during, and after pregnancy. "No … Continue Reading
03.18.19
Durbin Statement On President Trump's Veto Of Congress' Emergency Declaration Rebuke
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, today released the following statement after President Donald Trump vetoed the resolution of termination regarding his national emergency declaration to build a wall at the southern border. Yesterday, the Senate voted to reject President Trump's emergency declaration by a bipartisan vote of 59-41. "Yesterday, Republicans and Democrats in the Senate chose the Constitution over th… Continue Reading